November 18, 2019- Agenda & Minutes

Time: 10:30 am
Location: Exploratory Hall, Room 3301
Items to be considered on this agenda are due by 11/4/2019

When available, the meeting minutes will be indicated within bold brackets [ ] and are in draft form until they are approved by the committee.

Relevant Links: Undergraduate Council Meeting Minutes/ Graduate Council Meeting Minutes

I. Call to Order 

II. Approval of the October  21, 2019 Meeting Minutes  [Approved]

III. Announcements/Discussion

• SACSCOC Reminders [Departments are strongly encouraged to review this document]
• Professional Skills for PhDs [If any PhD programs are interested in enriching their curriculum by adding professional skills courses or a business certificate, please contact Jen.]
• Spring 2020 Meeting Schedule [Mondays at 10:30AM was still an optimal time for the committee.]

IV. Old Business

New Courses

• EVPP 534: Food-Energy-Water Nexus* [Approved pending course number update on the syllabus.]

Modified Courses

• GGS 507: Sustainable Development [Approved]

V. New Business – Undergraduate

New Courses

• EVPP 434: Food-Energy-Water Nexus* [Approved pending course number update on the syllabus.]
• MATH 300: Introduction to Advanced Mathematics*  [Approved, pending review of 1) impact on other courses and programs, 2) transferring all Mason Core and writing intensive designations, 3 adding standard language to the syllabus.]
• PHYS 334: Introduction to Quantum Computation and Quantum Information [Approved pending correction to the max allowable credits and adding standard language to the syllabus.]

Modified Courses

• ASTR 111: Introductory Astronomy: The Solar System [Approved, pending the clarification of pre and co-requisites. Per an email from PHYS/ASTR after the meeting: “ASTR 111 is not a prereq or coreq for ASTR 112, as correctly indicated in current system. Part of the reason is that some students (transfer or AP for example) who have taken the equivalent of 111 can register for 112 lab. In principle, 112 as a lab course can stand alone, and does not require a corresponding lecture before or going along with it. As we discussed in the meeting, other units and sequences also have the same practice”.]
• ASTR 112: Introductory Astronomy: The Solar System Lab [Approved, pending the clarification of pre and co-requisites, see email quote above.]
• ASTR 113: Introductory Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe [Approved, pending the clarification of pre and co-requisites, see email quote above.]
• ASTR 114: Introductory Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe Lab [Approved, pending the clarification of pre and co-requisites, see email quote above.]
• CHEM 468: Bioorganic Chemistry [Approved]
• CONS 320: Conservation in Practice [Approved]
• EVPP 336: Human Dimensions of the Environment [Approved]
• EVPP 409: Medical Mycology [Approved]
• EVPP 430: Fundamentals of Environmental Geographic Information Systems [Approved]
• EVPP 445: Principles of Environmental Toxicology [Approved]
• GEOL 401: Structural Geology [Approved]

Deleted Courses

• CHEM 300: Chemistry of Semiconductor Processing* [Approved]
• EVPP 110: The Ecosphere: An Introduction to Environmental Science I [Approved]
  • Impacted Courses: BIOL 308, BIOL 309, BIOL 408, EVPP 309, EVPP 336, EVPP 408, EVPP 409, EVPP 430, EVPP 445, GEOL 309, GEOL 332
• EVPP 111: The Ecosphere: An Introduction to Environmental Science I [Approved]
  • Impacted Courses: EVPP 336

Modified Degrees

• Biology, BS* [Approved]
• Biology Minor* [Tabled for departmental clarification]
• Environmental Science Minor [Approved]
• Mathematics, BS* [Approved pending the addition of 1) CDS courses in the computational skills, 2) Moving STAT 360 to the “Choose two” section.]
• Paleontology Minor* [Approved pending BIOL 310/330 correction and listing EVPP/BIOL/GEOL 309 and EVPP 419/BIOL 454.]
• Sustainability Studies Minor [Approved]

VI. New Business – Graduate

New Courses

• ASTR 601:Computer Simulation in Astronomy [Approved provisionally pending an updated syllabus.]

Modified Courses

• CONS 625: Statistics for Ecology and Conservation Biology [Approved with a friendly notification that the last sentence of the course description needs correction.]
• CONS 645: Estimating Animal Abundance and Occupancy [Approved]

New Programs

• Bachelor’s Degree (any)/Geographic and Cartographic Sciences, Accelerated MS* [Approved]
• Bachelor’s Degree (any)/Geoinformatics and Geospatial Intelligence, Accelerated MS* [Approved]
• Geography, BA/Geoinformatics and Geospatial Intelligence, Accelerated MS* [Approved]

Modified programs

• Geography, BA/Geographic and Cartographic Sciences, Accelerated MS* [Approved]
• Geography, BS/Geographic and Cartographic Sciences, Accelerated MS* [Approved]
• Geography, BS/Geoinformatics and Geospatial Intelligence, Accelerated MS* [Approved]
• Environmental Science and Public Policy, PhD* [Approved]

[The committee welcomed Dr. Michael Eagle, the COSCC’s new Computational and Data Sciences representative.]

VII. Adjournment [12:19 PM]